Apparatus for controlling the pick count per inch of a loom

ABSTRACT

A switch is associated with at least one pegging element mounted on the dobby chain of a conventional dobby loom and is connected to a plunger positioned adjacent the pick pawl of the take-up ratchet wheel of the loom for actuating the plunger and increasing the pick count per inch of the cloth in response to closing of the switch by the pegging element through an indexing element of the loom.

United States Patent 1191 Kodis APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE PICK COUNT PER INCH OF A LOOM [75] Inventor: Rudolfs Kodis, Greenville, SC.

73 Assignee: 91.1111521111061110611111811,,Bar-

tlesville, Okla.

[22] Filed: Nov. 16, 1970 211 Appl. No.: 89,899

[52] vs. C]. ..139/24, 139/304, 139/327 [51] Int. Cl. ..D03c 19/00, D03d 49/20 [58] Field of Search ..139/1, 24, 304, 307,

{56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,722,241 11/1955 Alix ..139/32i 2,613,693 10/1952 Jarvis ..139/24 x 3,010,482 ll/1961 White et al. 2,146,611 2/1939 Young, Jr 1 39/1 1111 3,730,230 1451 May 1, 1973 1,257,706 2/1918 Hedler 139/24 702,635 6/ 1902 Cumnock et a1. 3,160,177 12/1964 Williams et a1 1 39/24 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 242,863 11/1925 Great Britain ..139/24 446,217 3/1968 Switzerland ..139/304 Primary Examiner-James Kee Chi Attorney-Young & Quigg [5 7] ABSTRACT A switch is associated with at least one pegging element mounted on the dobby chain-0f a conventional dobby loom and is connected to a plunger positioned adjacent the pick pawl of the take-up ratchet wheel of the loom for actuating the plunger and increasing the pick count per inch of the cloth in response to closing of the switch by the pegging element through an indexing element of the loom.

6 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures Patented May 1 1973 ZELq/LTO POWER SOURCE TO POWER SOURCE MICRO SWITCH INVENTOR.

R. KODIS A TTOPNEVS APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE PICK COUNT PER INCH OF A LOOM In the operation ofa conventional dobby loom for weaving cloth having a dobby head, dobby chain, movable index elements, a take-up wheel and a pick pawl, the pick count per inch of the cloth is changed by replacing the take-up ratchet wheel with another ratchet wheel which has a different number of teeth. This is a sometimes difficult task which requires loss in production time and the expenditure of labor. The take-up ratchet wheel is driven by the reciprocating motion of the pick pawl moving the length of one tooth for each motion.

This invention therefore resides in a switch associated with at least one pegging element mounted on the dobby chain of a conventional dobby loom. The switch is connected to a solenoid positioned adjacent the pick pawl of the take-up ratchet wheel of the loom for actuating the solenoid against the pick pawl causing it to miss at least one tooth and increasing the pick count per inch of the cloth in response to closing of the switch by the pegging element through an indexing element of the loom.

Other aspects, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a study of the disclosure, the appended claims, and the drawing. I

The drawings are diagrammatic views of a portion of a conventional dobby loom with the apparatus of this invention installed thereupon.

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic view of a conventional dobby loom with portions .thereof cut away and the apparatus of this invention installed thereon; and

FIG. 2 shows, in an enlarged view, portions of the loom and the apparatus of this invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional dobby loom has a dobby head 2, a dobby chain 4, movable index elements 6, a take-up ratchet wheel 8 and a pick pawl 10.

A switch 12, preferably an electrical microswitch for ease of installation, is installed on the dobby head 2 with an actuating element 14 (better seen in F IG. 2) of the switch 12 adjacent a certain one 16 of the index elements 6 for opening and closing said switch 12 in response to movement of said one element 16 of the index elements 6 and delivering a signal in the closed position of the switch 12.

At least one pegging element 18, as known in the art, is mounted on the dobby chain 4 at a position at which said pegging element 18 contacts said indexing element 16 and moves said element 16 and switch actuating element 14 for closing the switch 12 upon rotation of the dobby chain 4 and pegging element 18 past the indexing element 6 during operation of the loom.

A plunger 22, preferably a plunger 22 of a solenoid 20, for example, is mounted with the plunger 22 adjacent the pick pawl 10 associated with the take-up ratchet wheel 8. The plunger 22 is movable between a normal first position (shown by broken lines in FIG. 2) at which the plunger 22 is spaced from the pick pawl 10 and a second position (shown by solid lines in FIG. 2) at which the plunger 22 is contacting the pick pawl 10 and maintaining said pick pawl in an inoperative position relative tothe take-up ratchet wheel 8. Said plunger 22 is moved from the first position to the switch 12 to the solenoid 20. Powerlines 26 and 28 are connected to a power source (not shown) and respective solenoid 20 and switch 12 for supplying energy to said solenoid 20 and switch 12 for the operation thereof.

In the operation of the apparatus of this invention, the pawl 10 of the dobby loom contacts and drives the take-up ratchet wheel 8 in a reciprocating motion with the number of teeth of the wheel being in direct proportion to the number of pick counts per inch. Where, for example, there are teeth on the ratchet wheel 8, the loom will function to form a material having 100 pick counts per inch and a wheel having I50 teeth will from a material having pick counts per inch. The dobby chain 4 and the pawl 10 are synchronized to move at relative rates one to the other. Each motion of the pick pawl against a tooth causes the ratchet wheel to move one unit of travel, or one tooth. By providing the apparatus of this invention, an operator is able to easily change the pick count per inch without changing the. take-up ratchet wheel by inserting or removing a pegging element 18 from the dobby chain 4. A plurality of pegging elements 18 can be installed on the dobby chain 4 for further increasing the pick count per inch.

With a pegging element 18 installed on the dobby chain 4, said element 18 is rotated into contact with the index element 16, moves the element 16 into contact with the actuating element 14 of the switch 12 and moves the actuating element 14 relative to the switch 12 for closing the switch 12.

The switch in'the closed position delivers an electrical signal through line 24 to the solenoid'20 which energizes the solenoid and moves the plunger 22 of the solenoid from the first position to'the second position. During movement of the plunger 22 toward the second position, the plunger contacts the pawl 10 and moves said pawl 10 to an inoperative position at which said pawl 10 misses one driving motion against a tooth and one unit of travel of the take-up ratchet wheel 8. This interruption of the operation of the pawl 10 increases the pick count per inch of the cloth by one. Thereafter the dobby chain 4 rotates the pegging element 18 past the indexing element 16 which permits the indexing element 16 to return to its original position and the solenoid 20 to be de-energized through the switch 12.

With this apparatus, it is therefore possible to increase the pick count per inch, by adding pegging elements 18, up to the maximum capabilities of the loom or decreasing the pick count per inch, by removing pegging elements 18, down to a pick count correspond ing to the number of teeth on the take-up ratchet wheel 8. Take-up ratchet wheels generally have a tooth number range from about 20 to about 240. By utilizing a 20-tooth ratchet wheel it is then possible to increase the pick count per inch up to a maximum number of pick counts of the loom by adding pegging elements 18 to the pattern or dobby chain.

The switch 12 can also be activated by more than one index element 6 where the activating element 14 of the switch 12 spans the indexing elements thatare acv tivated by the pegging elements.

Other modifications and alterations of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing discussion and accompanying drawing,

, of a cloth being formed on a conventional dobby loom having a dobby head, dobby chain, movable index elements, a take-up ratchet wheel and a pick pawl, comprising: I

a switch having a switch actuating element and being positioned on the loom with the actuating element of the switch adjacent one of the index elements for opening and closing said switch in response to movement of said one index element and delivering a signal in the closed position of the switch;

at least one pegging element mounted on the dobby chain at a position at which said pegging element contacts said one index element and moves said one index element for opening and closing the switch upon rotation of the dobby chain and pegging element past the index elements during operation of the loom;

a plunger mounted adjacent the pick pawl associated with the take-up ratchet wheel, said plunger being movable between a first position at which the plunger is spaced from the pick pawl and a second position, in response to receiving a signal from the switch, at which the plunger is contacting the pick pawl and maintaining said pick pawl in an inoperative position relative to the take-up ratchet Wheel for increasing the pick count per inch of the cloth; and

means for delivering a signal from the switch to the plunger.

2. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the plunger is a portion of an electrical solenoid.

3. A method for increasing the pick count per inch of cloth being formed by a conventional dobby loom having a dobby head, dobby chain, movable index elements, a take-up ratchet wheel and a pick pawl comprising:

installing at least one pegging element in the dobby chain,

contacting one of the indexing elements with the pegging element and moving said indexing element into contact with an activating element of an adjacently positioned switch;

continuing to move the switch activating element and closing the switch;

delivering a signal from the switch to a plunger positioned adjacent the pick pawl of the take-up ratchet wheel; 7

contacting the pick pawl with the plunger in response to the signal received from the switch;

moving said pick pawl by the plunger to an inoperative position; and

maintaining said pick pawl at the inoperative posi-' tion relative to the take-up ratchet wheel for increasing the pick count per inch of the cloth.

4. A method, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the signal is delivered to the plunger through an electrical solenoid for operating said plunger.

5. An apparatus for changing the pick count on a dobby loom having a movable index element and a pick pawl associated with a take-up ratchet wheel, comprissignal means for delivering a signal 1n response to movement of the index element past a preselected location and a plunger positioned adjacent the pick pawl, said plunger being operably connected to the signal means and movable relative to the pick pawl for moving said pick pawl between an operative position and an inoperative position relative to the ratchet wheel in response to signals received from the signal means for changing the pick count.

6. A method for changing the pick count on a dobby loom having a movable index element and a pick pawl associated with a take-up ratchet wheel, comprising:

moving an index element to a preselected location;

delivering a signal in response to said index element arriving at said preselected location; and I moving said pick pawl between one of an operative and an inoperative position relative to the ratchet wheel in response to said signal for changing the pick count. 

1. An apparatus for changing the pick count per inch of a cloth being formed on a conventional dobby loom having a dobby head, dobby chain, movable indEx elements, a take-up ratchet wheel and a pick pawl, comprising: a switch having a switch actuating element and being positioned on the loom with the actuating element of the switch adjacent one of the index elements for opening and closing said switch in response to movement of said one index element and delivering a signal in the closed position of the switch; at least one pegging element mounted on the dobby chain at a position at which said pegging element contacts said one index element and moves said one index element for opening and closing the switch upon rotation of the dobby chain and pegging element past the index elements during operation of the loom; a plunger mounted adjacent the pick pawl associated with the take-up ratchet wheel, said plunger being movable between a first position at which the plunger is spaced from the pick pawl and a second position, in response to receiving a signal from the switch, at which the plunger is contacting the pick pawl and maintaining said pick pawl in an inoperative position relative to the take-up ratchet wheel for increasing the pick count per inch of the cloth; and means for delivering a signal from the switch to the plunger.
 2. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the plunger is a portion of an electrical solenoid.
 3. A method for increasing the pick count per inch of cloth being formed by a conventional dobby loom having a dobby head, dobby chain, movable index elements, a take-up ratchet wheel and a pick pawl comprising: installing at least one pegging element in the dobby chain, contacting one of the indexing elements with the pegging element and moving said indexing element into contact with an activating element of an adjacently positioned switch; continuing to move the switch activating element and closing the switch; delivering a signal from the switch to a plunger positioned adjacent the pick pawl of the take-up ratchet wheel; contacting the pick pawl with the plunger in response to the signal received from the switch; moving said pick pawl by the plunger to an inoperative position; and maintaining said pick pawl at the inoperative position relative to the take-up ratchet wheel for increasing the pick count per inch of the cloth.
 4. A method, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the signal is delivered to the plunger through an electrical solenoid for operating said plunger.
 5. An apparatus for changing the pick count on a dobby loom having a movable index element and a pick pawl associated with a take-up ratchet wheel, comprising: signal means for delivering a signal in response to movement of the index element past a preselected location and a plunger positioned adjacent the pick pawl, said plunger being operably connected to the signal means and movable relative to the pick pawl for moving said pick pawl between an operative position and an inoperative position relative to the ratchet wheel in response to signals received from the signal means for changing the pick count.
 6. A method for changing the pick count on a dobby loom having a movable index element and a pick pawl associated with a take-up ratchet wheel, comprising: moving an index element to a preselected location; delivering a signal in response to said index element arriving at said preselected location; and moving said pick pawl between one of an operative and an inoperative position relative to the ratchet wheel in response to said signal for changing the pick count. 